Adventure
by Shmeeko
Summary: There is often so much more to someone than what they show to others. It's amazing what one Princess can learn about her enemy when she accepts the idea of looking at him as something more than just another predictable villain.


For the umpteenth time that night, Peach rolled over, slowly beginning to accept the fact that sleep was just not going to come easy to her tonight.

She tried to worm her way under the covers, to find a niche in the matress for her small body to sink into. But the bed was too warm with the blanket on, and her skin was too cold when she kicked it off. There was a lump in the bed when she rolled one way, and an unfamiliar tilt when she rolled the other. There was no getting comfortable, her muscles aches with a restlessness that was quite unlike her.

_'Sooner or later,' _she thought with a defeated sigh, which became lost in the thick fabrics of her blankets, '_I'll have to come to terms with the fact that I'm just not sleepy...'_

After several more minutes of lying in a predictably uncomfortable position on her bed, Peach gave up. She pushed the remainder of the blankets off her, which she'd curled her leg around in attempts to find a happy medium of not being completely covered. When she'd untangled herself from the rose-coloured fabrics, she threw her legs over the side of her bed and let the pads of her toes just skim the cold, hardwood floors.

She perched there for a while, contently swinging her feet as she stared down at them, appreciating the cool of the nighttime atmosphere on her skin. She hardly wore little more than a short nightgown to bed. Despite her chambermaids and caretakers complaining that she'd catch a cold, she always thought it far easier to warm up in the night than it was to cool down. Besides, she wore such heavy, elaborate dresses day in and day out, it was nice to get into something light and more forgiving when she wanted to actually move.

Now was one of those times where movement became a necessity. She pushed herself off the bed, hesitated, then moved over to the grand double doors that lead out to her balcony. Moonlight poured in to flood her room as she opened them, casting a long shadow behind her as her eyes adjusted to the surprisingly bright light. There, bathed in the moonlight and greeted with a pleasant-smelling breeze, Peach smiled. She took in a long breath, then stepped back from the doors and twirled as gracefully as she could in the light.

She had been right. She wasn't sleepy at all. If she had the energy to spontaneously dance, she probably wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, and certainly not of her own accord.

Peach happily twirled her way out onto the balcony, coming to a stop at the railing and leaning over it with an uncontainable grin. The breeze continued to brush at her face, blowing her blonde trusses out behind her in a picturesque fashion. No wonder she couldn't sleep. It seemed like a crime against nature to sleep on such a picture-perfect night. The moon was high and near-full, lit brightly so that it bathed the land below in a soft silver glow. The air was warm, with a crisp breeze to keep the temperature from getting too humid or unpleasant. Crickets called from the rolling fields of grass below, a natural symphony to praise the night she stared into.

Then, the preformance was broken by a familiar sound: a repetative, metallic clicking she'd heard quite a few times. It sounded very much like the blades of a helicopter, though without the grand, air-splitting volume. It was stealthier, though she knew the machine that owned the sound was not meant to be stealthy.

Acting on instinct, she ducked down, hiding behind the railing of her balcony and staring out between the small gaps of the posts. She waited and listened, expecting to see that uncharacterist painted face come rearing over the side of the balcony and ferrying a beast to be feared.

But no such sight came. Instead, the clicking seemed to quieten down, as if it was going away once more and leaving her in peace. Hesitant and unsure she heard the thing at all, the young woman peered over the railings, gradually standing up further to see more of the landscape. Nothing appeared to have changed, nothing was out of place. Perhaps she really had imagined the noise. Maybe the restlessness was getting to her?

Regardless, Peach decided then and there that she needed to get out.

She crept through the castle quietly, taking the most unused halls and making sure her little flats made no noise against the marble floors. Her servants would be dreadfully alarmed if they figured out she was sneaking away unprotected. Some might say she was just looking for attention, asking to be kidnapped again.

Truth was, she wouldn't mind the attention if it came, but not the sort she usually got. She wanted an adventure of her own, sick and tired of being the ultimate prize to _someone_ in their respective adventures that she would never be included in. She was always the damsel in distress, and just for once she wanted to be without the 'distress' title. She wanted to be a civilian girl out for a late-night walk, with not a fear in the world outside of getting lost in the dark and scolded by a hard-working father.

Well, scolded by a hard-working father wasn't exactly out of the picture for her, but "normal" and "civilian" were two titles she would likely never be able to shoulder.

Humming irritably to herself, Peach squeezed out of the side passageway she used to use to escape into the fields as a child. A couple more steps and a quick fence-hop later, she was out of the castle's immediate boundaries. She took off at a run, laughing to herself as she cleared the field in seconds' time. It felt good to be outside, on her own, and under the watchful and judging stare of absolutely no one.

She hadn't bothered to change out of her nightgown, though she did have the decency to put on a pair of shorts beneath the dress. This allowed her the freedom to move and run without worrying about flashing any unfortunate crickets below. The light material of her nightgown and the thinness of her flats made her feel more in-tune with nature; less effected by the temperature and closer to feeling the contours of the earth beneath her feet.

She didn't bother bringing a flashlight, the moon was so bright she was convinced she wouldn't need one.

Eventually Peach stopped running, steadying her pace to a content walk as she regained her breath from her sudden sprint. She folded her arms behind her back and walked with her eyes on the sky, grass tickling her ankles and prompting that relaxed smile to stay exactly where it was.

The peace was interrupted after only a few minutes by a low growl, sounding from a tree-laden area nearby. Peach nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound, leaping off the make-shift path and away from the small patch of greenery. She froze in panic, staring at the tiny woodland with wide blue eyes. Eventually, she narrowed them, scolded herself for jumping at something that was probably silly like a stray cat or a raccoon. She huffed and carried on her way a little faster than usual, using all her might not to look over her shoulder.

It wasn't long before she found herself on a little dirt path that wove through the hills and towards the larger woodland that marked one of the borders of her kingdom. Upon seeing this border, she marvelled to herself how far she'd travelled, looking back to see the castle was nowhere in sight.

Strange, she really didn't think she'd been walking all the far.

"What luck, what luck!"

Peach whirled at the sudden and intrusive voice, staring down at a Hammer Bro. Koopa who returned her look with a wide grin. His hammers were already in his hands, one up and ready to throw.

"The princess out here and on her own! The king will be so pleased with me!"

He launched his first hammer at the girl, who in her startled state of mind, almost forgot to dodge until it nearly collided with her face. The second hammer was flung at her, travelling at a downward arch in her direction and therefore easy to sidestep. What she hadn't been expecting was the little turtle-like thing to charge her. His helmed skull met her stomach in a sudden and relentless headbutt that sent her skidding back and knocked the breath out of her.

The koopa moved to stand over top of her, lifting a hammer with the obvious intention of hitting her with it. She lifted her hands to shield her head and braced for pain.

At least, that was the case until the scene was split with an angered roar and several thunderous stomps.

Peach peeked carefully through a gap in her fingers, watching as her attacker was punted ruthlessly, his cries growing faint as he flew further and further away. The attack was finished with a contempt snort, and Peach slowly lowered her hands from her face. She wasn't sure how to react to staring up at the Koopa King himself, who looked down at her with an equally blank expression.

Yes, it clicked that he'd saved her. But what refused to assemble itself sensibly in her mind was that he'd just dropkicked one of his own subjects in order to save her from...his own desires?

"B-Bowser?" The name tumbled awkwardly from her lips, totally helpless in stopping the shameful stutter in accompanying the title.

"Peach," he returned levelly, as if the question had simply been a greeting. He paused for a moment, looking at her with something obviously on his mind, then moved right on past her, stopping a few feet away with his head aimed skywards. He took a long breath in through his nose, was silent and thoughtful for a few more minutes, then turned back around. Instead of speaking to the girl further, he carried on his way, walking with a purpose down the path – and away from Peach.

Startled and confused, the girl wasn't quite sure why she got up to follow him so suddenly. She was making a point of trying to avoid answering the question as to why she would ever follow the powerful king willingly after such an abusive display.

"W-wait!" The words left her mouth before she could stop them, her legs already moving to send her jogging after him.

Bowser paused at the call and give Peach little more than a curious stare over his shoulder.

'_Why aren't you kidnapping me?'_

No. This sounded far too...Snobbish? Attention-seeking? Self-centered?

"What are you doing here?"

The koopa paused a moment longer, giving this some thought before turning slowly to face the girl, who now stood before him. He made a sound that seemed to be an odd cross of a chuckle and a grumble, and pointed one large claw towards woodland border.

"Just beyond that forest is the Darklands. This is barely your territory, princess."

Political boundaries reaffirmed themselves in her mind and the royal blood kicked in.

"That doesn't mean it's not," she returned with an equally cool voice, "I do believe this land belongs to the Toadstool family right up until the trees start dying."

Bowser snorted, breathing a puff of smoke into her face before carrying on his way. This wasn't right. While Bowser certainly had the capability of being cold and dismissive, something was off. There was a worry that surrounded him, something that told Peach he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Still, the girl followed.

"You didn't answer my question, Bowser."

"You're right, I didn't."

"What are you doing here?"

This time, the King didn't stop, nor did he answer. He kept on walking, attention on anything but the princess as she kept a decent pace with him.

"Is there something wrong? You don't usually come here unless-"

She stopped herself, but he caught her implications. It was obvious in the way he chuckled aloud, something cold a bitter about the sound.

"Unless I'm trying to kidnap you? Rest assured, princess, I'm not here for you."

She wasn't really worried in the first place.

"Then who _are_ you here for?"

It was clear the Koopa planned to keep on marching without responding, but Peach was tired of this non-mocking, non-Bowser-like Bowser she was in the presence of. Desperate for an answer, she reached forward and took one large clawed hand in both of her smaller, dainty ones.

"Please, Bowser. Something's wrong."

Nevermind the fact that he was, by most standards, a villain and that the two should be enemies, he was obviously in distress. Peach couldn't help the concern. Despite being a terrible combination of violent, smart and strong enough to snap her in two if he felt so inclined; he'd never intentionally hurt her. He'd always treated her with a certain grudging respect. Even as a captive, she was treated with all the kindness he could muster.

This wasn't a lot, but its meaning was incomparable to anything when it came from the King of the Darklands.

At her hands gripping one of his, he paused. He cast a look over his shoulder, then turned once more. That bitter mask chipped just a little, and concern flashed in those crimson eyes. A frown plagued his jaw.

"My son," he said after a lengthly pause, during which Peach was forced to look away from that careful stare. Her gaze snapped back to him in the instant.

"Junior?" It only made sense. All the other Koopalings could certainly take care of themselves when they got into trouble. The youngest one was quite clearly the one the King worried about the most. It seemed only logical that the worry seen here was for the littlest prince and the reason why Bowser was found lurking on the outskirts of her kingdom.

Not like Bowser had anything to fear. For the most part, Peach's people avoided conflict, and the great king could take down even the most skilled of soldiers with relative ease. This was partially why so many people in the mushroom kingdom was so very weary of the Darklands ruler. Without the brothers and their companions, the Mushroom kingdom would've become just another extension of the Darklands years ago.

"He's wandered off again, which normally wouldn't be much of a problem if it weren't for..." Bowser trailed off, his gaze hitting the dirt path for a moment as he stood in thought. Peach waited for him to continue, but she never did hear him finish that sentence. "It's important that I find him as soon as possible. He's notoriously good at finding trouble." Despite the alarm these words carried, the young woman didn't miss the tinge of pride in the koopa's voice. Of course. Trouble and Bowser went hand in hand, it was no surprise that his young likeness was the same way.

"You think he'd be here?" Peach asked, trying to think of the places a little Koopa prince would hide.

"You're here, aren't you?"

Peach understood. The boy without a mother couldn't go to his father, so it was likely he'd unconsciously gone to the next best thing he had in line for a mother: the kindly woman he'd helped his father kidnap before, the one who treated him like the child he was and who always played such wonderful games with him and told the most elaborate, interesting stories.

"I haven't seen him, and I just came from the castle. Is there anywhere else he might be?"

"I didn't expect him to get as far as your castle, not yet."

"Should I get a search party together?"

At this, Bowser laughed. The sudden, harsh sound made Peach flinch. She'd completely forgotten she was still holding onto the powerful king's hand until he pulled it away.

"Don't bother, princess. There's so few people in this kingdom who would help me, willingly or otherwise. Besides, isn't it past your bed-time? Your subjects would wonder what on earth you were doing out gallivanting in the middle of the night with the likes of _me_." The implications in the male's words were obvious, but Peach chose to ignore them, instead focusing on the bitter laughter.

"They'd understand, especially if it were something like this..."

Bowser shook his head, grunted, and carried on walking.

"It's really no trouble, I promise you, I can go back and get a squad together in a matter of-"

"Princess, think for a moment about who you're talking to."

He gave her the allotted time to do so.

She was talking to Bowser Koopa, of course. But that's not the kind of thought he was asking for. Peach knew exactly what he meant. He was _King_ of the _Darklands,_and not exactly a peaceful one. There were many a time he'd tried to take over the Mushroom kingdom, and each time thus far had been thwarted. The citizens of her world would likely never be too eager to assist the dark king. More than that, Bowser would never be too eager to accept the help of her citizens. Something to do with pride or some other variant of male foolishness.

"If I needed a search party, I'd have one of my own."

"Then will you at least let me help you?"

Bowser stared again. This time, the young woman met the expression as evenly as she could manage.

"If not for you, for your son."

The reptile snorted and rolled his shoulders in a shrug, carrying on down the path once more.

"Do what you want."

Peach beamed and moved to keep in step with the powerful Koopa. They were silent for some time, and usually the silence would bother her. More so considering the fact that the path they were on was taking them both closer and closer to the forest, in which many strange and possibly dangerous animals probably lurked. If she were alone, she would probably be afraid. However, she was not alone. She was with undoubtedly one of the most powerful beings of the worlds, his large size and intimidating appearance making him far scarier than anything in those woods. She'd never felt safer in her life, even when in the arms of the red-clothed brother who so often played her savior.

"Did you pass by the castle earlier?" Peach asked suddenly, looking to fill the awkward silence between them.

"No."

"Oh, I could've sworn I heard-"

"You probably did. I was surveying the fields. Sound travels easier when there's nothing to block it."

The intelligent remark caught the young woman off guard. It's not that she'd thought Bowser was stupid before, it was just that she'd never seen the quieter, more thoughtful side of the king that was present at this point in time. He really was quite knowledgeable, and not simply in battle strategies and war tactics. It was admirable.

"So that's why you're here now?"

"Like I said, I didn't think he would've made it all the way to the castle. If he wasn't in the fields, he probably hasn't gotten here yet."

"Oh, right..." The silence fell fast once more, and Peach wracked her brain for something to break it. "Thank you!" She blurted, louder than she'd meant to and failing to specify whatever for.

"...What?"

"Thank you," she repeated again, quieter, "for saving me."

"Don't mention it."

"Though kicking him that far was a little over-kill."

"Trust me, those guys live for overkill. He was about to smash your head with a hammer."

"Good point," Peach found herself absently scanning the landscape, looking for anything out of place while trying to learn more about this softer side of her public enemy. "Why was he even here? The Darklands border isn't that close, is it?"

"It is in some places, and not all of the Hammer Bros live in the Darklands to begin with. They come and go as they please, when they are allowed to."

"But they're not allow-"

"Let me correct myself, when _I_ allow them to."

"And since when do you have the right to decide if your cronies are allowed in my kingdom?"

"It's not yet _your_ kingdom, _princess." _He was ever so careful to stress Peach's title above everything else. "And since when have you ever done anything to stop those 'cronies' from living in here?"

...Good point.

"I may reconsider, seeing as one just tried to bludgeon me with a hammer."

"Well gee, I wonder why." Bowser spoke with a mockery in his voice that seemed to lighten his mood. He grinned teasingly now, a chuckle rolling in his throat. "It's not like you're the princess of a wealthy family wandering around unarmed in the middle of the night. I can't imagine why any ruffian would want to tangle with you."

"Fine, fine. I get it."

"Which brings me to wonder; what are _you_ doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep, just wasn't tired."

"So you decided to go on a midnight stroll to liven up your life?"

"Basically!"

"Apparently Junior's not the only one with a talent for finding trouble."

Peach wasn't sure whether or not to be offended like this. In any other situation, maybe she would demand an apology. But something in Bowser's tone told her it wasn't meant as an insult. She decided to call it friendly banter and get on with her night.

"I would've been fine," she defended lamely, "I'm not entirely helpless."

Another laugh, harder than the last.

"Right, sure. Okay. I'll remember that."

"Well you-!" Red-faced, she tried to think of something to say in her defense. Not surprisingly, her mind drew up a blank. "That's diff-! ...You're a- I could've-!" She drew in a breath to stop her attempts of a witty retort and simply settled on changing the subject. "When did you last see Junior?"

Bowser took the hint that he'd won their banter, and at this change of subject his mood seemed to somber. Peach regretted bringing it back up.

"A few hours ago. Just after bed-time."

Peach was so caught up with trying to think of a way to get back the less depressing Bowser, she almost didn't notice he choice in words. Bed-time? For some reason, those words sounded odd coming from the large creature. They sounded so very human, so very normal. Human and normal were definitely not something folks associated with Bowser often. But then again, after giving it some thought, the young woman realized it really wasn't all that big of a stretch.

Despite eluding the labels of human and normal, he still proudly held to the title of 'Father'. No matter how he may have treated everyone else, the Koopa king must treat his children with a little more tenderness than he'd ever admit. Junior was still just a boy and therefore, still needed to rest up by order of his father so he would grow up to be big and strong like the king himself.

At least, this is what Peach imagined Bowser would say to the boy to persuede him to sleep, few children willingly retired for the night routinely.

"What...happened?" Peach ended up stretching out those two words, unsure if what she was asking sounded repetitive.

Apparently it did, because with a sigh Bowser ellaborated slowly.

"I went in to check on him a couple hours ago, and he wasn't there. The window was open, but there was no note, and no one in the castle had seen him leave."

"Could he have snuck out?"

"Obviously."

"Sorry, sorry. I know, stupid question."

"It's not the first time he's done it, but usually he'll leave a note, or tell one of his maids to cover for him so he isn't caught."

"Why would he want to leave?" Peach assumed primarily that on those nights he snuck out, he was feeling as she was: restless and eager to move. But Bowser trusted his child, it was obvious in the tasks he allowed the prince to perform on his own. It was clear that this was different, there was more to this story she wasn't being told.

It wasn't her business, though, so she was careful not to ask.

"He's a kid with the attention span of a rock," Bowser said dismissively, waving a clawed hand as if ushering the question away, "if he can't sleep, he needs to find something better to do, even if that means wandering off in the middle of the night."

"I assume you've checked most of the Darklands already?"

"All his favourite places and then some, yes. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this is where he might be."

"I know."

Silence again, and Peach cursed inwardly. She wasn't sure what bent her to want conversation from the king. Maybe it was just the fact that she would feel awkward if they were in one another's presence without saying something to fill the quiet. He clearly did not feel the same, as his attention seemed to always be ahead of him – lost in his own thoughts.

"Bowser, do you mind if I-"

"Shut up."

The princess blinked, surprised at the curt tone she was addressed with.

"Excuse me, but I-!"

"_Peach," _he hissed, holding a clawed hand up to silence her. "Shh!"

She pressed her lips together, offense ushered away by the urgency in his tone. When she too let her attention shift to what lay ahead, she heard a distinct, mechanical humm getting louder and louder from over the top of the hill. Curious, she moved to advance along the path, sure she would see the owner of such a noise from the top. She was stopped when Bowser held out his arm, preventing her from passing.

"Wait."

She did, staring with wide eyes at the peak of the grassy hill as the mechanical sounds proceeded to get louder.

Suddenly, a strange looking contraption came over the hill, pausing at the top as it stared at the two creatures down the path.

Eight long, metallic legs kept it suspended about four-or-so feet off the ground, a small head completely dwarfed by a much larger abdomen. A series of red, eye-like lights pointed at the duo from their position in the thing's head, where two metallic fangs stuck out and curved wickedly. An acidic substance seemed to drip from these fangs, steaming when a drop would hit the dirt below.

A giant, metallic spider. A death machine.

Peach hated spiders.

The thing began to make an odd clicking noise, raising it's two front legs as it lifted itself a little higher into the air. It was large, almost as tall as Bowser and certainly taking up more surface area than the Koopa.

The princess let her gaze flick to the reptile, unsure what to do or what this thing was and how the king knew to listen for it. She hardly protested as her much larger comrade slowly pushed her behind him, a growl rumbling from somewhere in his throat as the machine continued to click.

Until without warning, the thing charged forward, the clicking noise shrill and quick as it came down upon the hostile Koopa. It lifted its front two legs, attempting to drive them into Bowser's flesh once it was in range. However, sparks flew as the reptile caught the mechanic legs in his claws, snarling as he skidded back, forcing Peach to back away from him or risk getting poked by that spiked shell.

The king struggled for his footing in the soft dirt for only a moment, then tightened his grip and pulled the creature down harshly. Peach's heart started to beat impossibly loud in her ears as she watched Bowser inhale quickly, then promptly expel powerful flames from his lungs and into the 'face' of the creature. It screeched and writhed in the heat before bringing another pair of its legs up to pry itself away from the fire-breathing turtle, skittering back a few paces as it twitched and clicked.

"I'd run if I were you," he growled over his shoulder before stalking towards the clicking machine. Though he was no longer paying attention to her, she shook her head in response. She wouldn't abandon Bowser to face this thing alone. She wasn't exactly sure what she could do to help, but it seemed wrong to run away from someone who'd saved her, and was quite possibly doing the same thing again – without being asked.

The machine collected itself, managing to quell the twitches as Bowser neared it. The thing reared up, four legs waving wildly in the air before they came down quickly, trying to impale the king with their sharp tips. Bowser whirled, ducking his head as each tip connected with the solid material of his shell repetitively. The thing was relentlessly trying to crack the male's shell with its' repetitive jabs. Only after it decided it was not worth the effort did a leg sweep the king aside with sudden force.

Bowser skidded across the grass on his belly, rolling to prevent himself from getting stuck on his back. He lunged forward, tackling the creature from the side as he leapt up from all fours. The spider was overthrown by this massive amount of weight and force colliding with its flank. Peach could only stare in awe as it struggled to roll itself upright once more and find another opportunity to launch a counter attack.

The princess frowned, taken aback by Bowser's sheer display of power. Sure, his size and attitude weren't just for show, but it was humbling to see him fight something without an ounce or mercy, no sign of holding back. Those claws ripped and tore at metal skin, his impressive canines making short work of whatever had the misfortune of being caught between his powerful jaws. She had never seen him fight like this before – not even the multiple times he'd fought with Mario. Those times hadn't nearly been as ruthless as this. It made her wonder if Bowser actually had the ability to defeat the Italian he so often duelled with.

A roar of pain from the subject at hand brought Peach out of her thoughtful, unattentive stare. The spider had somehow gotten Bowser back on his shell, and now jabbed at the arms that shielded the Koopa's face. He couldn't risk exposing it to breathe fire, due to the fact that he might get an eye poked out. He had been doing so well, but the machine had made a calculated move that put its damaged body overtop of the flesh-and-blood one of Bowser. It sparked from several open tears and its hind legs twitched occaisonally, but that did nothing to stop the relentless jabs of its front two legs.

Peach had to do something.

Acting on instinct, she pulled off a flat and whipped it at the creature. The little shoe hit the thing in the head, making it pause to see what had launched this attack. The princess removed her other flat, throwing it at the same target and making sure it saw her. Before the shoe could hit it this time, the machine ran it through with a pointed leg and pinned it to the ground. It stared at her almost thoughtfully, a stare she boldly returned.

It let out a series of shrill clicks and made a dash for her, skittering on awkward legs after her as she sprinted up the hill. She barely heard the cry of alarm coming from Bowser behind her, focusing instead on the clicking that got insistently louder on her heels.

She was sent flying forward when one of the metallic legs slammed into her back. She tumbled down the hill, yelping as sharp rocks tore at her skin and dress. The mechanic arachnid chased after her, clicking madly. When she stopped rolling near the bottom of the hill, she struggled to push herself upright. She was dizzy and sore, but had no time to worry about it. A metallic shine in the grass beside her caught her eye. She reached for it, recognizing the tool almost instantly and wrapping her hands around the grip. The princess forced herself to her feet, holding her new-found weapon ready to swing as the spider barrelled down upon her.

When it was within reach, she swung the golf club with all her might, smashing the creature upside the head and knocking it away.

"Fore!" she squeaked with a smile, twirling the club in one hand. She may have been a princess, but she wasn't entirely helpless. Give her something she could use, and she'd use it. She was not a porcelain doll, her repeated troublesome situations forbid her to be. She would be broken into peices if she was a fragile girl.

The thing hissed and clicked, legs twitching as it struggled to get itself off the ground as she had. Her strike had clearly hit something valuable, due to the fact that it seemed to be having difficulties getting its legs to cooperate. Peach gave it a triumphant stare before making her way back up the hill, her concern now dedicated to Bowser, who'd yet to come over the top of the hill.

A sudden hissing behind her made her whirl, the golf club ready. The spider had somehow closed the distance in order to stand directly behind her. When Peach whirled to try and swing with the club, her wrist was harshly whacked with a metal leg, knocking the club from her grip. A second leg came from the opposite direction, hitting her square in the collarbones and knocking her aside, back meeting the rough earth with a thud.

The thing was on top of her in the next instant, one metallic fang twitching as its face hovered above her. The other had been misplaced at some point during the night, but the remaining one still functioned well enough to being to drip an obvious acid. She rolled to avoid being burned, only to have one of the legs slam down to stop her retreat. The legs seemed to form a cage around her, its body keeping her pinned to the earth as its remaining mandible shifted to reveal a circular mouth lined with rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

It brought its head down fast, the circular rows beginning to spin as that acid-soaked fang tried to sink into the flesh of her face. She propped her hands under her hindquarters and rolled her legs upwards, propping the soles of her feet against the spider's underside and pushing with all her might to keep that horrific, many-toothed face away from her.

"B-!"

Even before she could call, he slammed into the thing's side, knocking it off her as if it were made of tinfoil. It rolled down the hill, legs flailing as it fell. Peach bolted upright, eyes wide as they flitted from the danger to her savior. Bowser's arms bled from an uncountable amount of cuts on his biceps and forearms, a terrible tear on his right shoulder from where a pointed leg had dug quite deep. But despite the blood and wounds, the Koopa looked as fierce as ever. He snarled to the princess,

"I thought I told you to run!"

Peach faked a smile of innocence.

"I must not have heard."

He snorted, then offered a clawed hand to help her up. With his assistance, she was back on her wobbly legs, leaning on his strong arm to keep her adrenaline-hyped self from collapsing into a heap on the floor. When she was sure she could stand on her own, she slowly released him.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, princess."

The dark king turned and headed down the hill to where the machine twitched and whined, crackling with electricity. There was a terrific dent in its side from where Bowser had rammed it, and now it seemed void of the strength to rise. But that didn't stop it from trying.

As Bowser approached the thing, it hissed and screeched, its legs clawing at the dirt in attempts to push itself up; but lacking the strength to do so. The Koopa ruthlessly ripped an arm from its socket and stabbed it through the head of the metallic spider. It whined and twitched for a few seconds further, before those legs slowly began to curl inwards and it became still and silent once more.

Peach expected Bowser to give it a good kick and stomp his way back up the hill – but he did no such thing. Instead, he walked around the metal carcass, flexing one clawed hand as he approached the enormous abdomen of the creature. One hand braced himself against the back, while the other began to tear a very precise line around the middle of the circular bubble of machine.

Carefully, and with the expertise of someone who had done it many times before, he tore the top of the abdomen clear off, reaching down to pull a familiar being from the mechanic core.

Bowser Junior.

The king delicately picked up the child, one arm keeping the little prince against his chest while the other picked off a plethora of wires that had been attached to the little Koopa.

"My goodness..." Peach slowly approached the parent who tended to his child with an unfamiliar gentleness. Those claws which had previously torn something to shreds now delicately pulled off what traces of the machine plagued his son. "...You knew he was in there?"

"I did, yes."

Well, in some ways, that sort of explained why the thing wasn't completely fried when he had the chance.

"What was that thing?"

"...I don't know."

Initially, Peach thought he was lying to her again, until she saw the expression on those usually hostile features. His eyes were on the sparking contraption in the dirt, distant as he frowned at nothing in particular. That helpless expression told the young woman he wasn't lying.

"This has happened before, hasn't it?"

"With Larry, yes."

"What does it do to them?"

Bowser began to trek slowly up the hill. His son was still in his arms, snoring softly as if nothing had gone amiss at all. He passed the princess without looking at her, though the latter did get a good look at his precious cargo. The prince looked fine – not without a few bruises, but considering what he'd just been inside, this was expected.

"We've concluded it draws on them as a source of power. Something to do with the heat my line produces and our natural bio-electricity. What we don't know is who keeps building these things nor why they're targeting my kids."

His voice took a bitter turn.

"But when I find them..."

Peach caught up to the king, placing an arm on his forearm reassuringly, mindful of his injuries that he seemed to be ignoring.

Now she understood why Bowser's attention had been so divided, why he'd been so goal-oriented when she'd found him. Someone had taken his son from him. Peach had no doubt in her mind that he would put his offspring above everything else when the moment called for it, that he was an entirely different person when fighting for his kids than when fighting for a kingdom.

This was a nice, positive light on Bowser's otherwise negative personality Peach was happy to have discovered.

"If I learn anything, you'll be the first to know," she promised, giving his arm a gentle squeeze, "If they've started to move into my kingdom, we'll probably see more of them."

Bowser returned her kind look with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Peach."

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do, considering you've saved me twice now."

"I wouldn't get used to it," he growled – though it was meant in mocking banter.

"I won't. I assume we'll be back to our usual schedule tomorrow then?"

"If not before."

The sky was beginning to brighten with an orange glow – the sun was rising and someone would be arriving in her room to wake her soon, but Peach stayed with Bowser regardless. She walked with him to his flying machine, watched as he carefully situated himself and his prince in the copter and began to take off towards the sky.

Peach watched as he slowly climbed higher, rooted in place as she stared. She didn't move, even as he began to disappear into the horizon. She didn't want to move. She would have to go back to her castle and explain the bruises and cuts from her late-night adventure to over-concerned chambermaids. She would probably lie about meeting Bowser, because goodness knows Toadsworth would up the security if he knew that the dark king had been in the Mushroom Kingdom.

She would stay true to her promise of listening for any more information on the strange machines – after all, she did have a right to know what was going on in her kingdom, no matter what anyone tried to tell her. She merely had to ask, and she could find out whatever she wanted. Of course, if she did find anything out, she would have to find a way to tell Bowser in a way that couldn't be traced by her overprotective caretakers. Maybe she'd even have to meet him in person again.

Surprisingly, that sounded like a very good idea. It was safe to say she actually looked forward to it.

It had been a long time since she'd seen any trace of a kinder, gentle Bowser. Tonight had been the first night in years. She was eager to rediscover the softer side of the dark king he was so careful to hide. She suspected even his children didn't get to see the extent of it – considering his nature and that nasty reputation he had to uphold.

It was pleasing to learn he wasn't all evil schemes and plots to rule.

Yawning for the first time that night, Peach began the long trek back to the castle, wondering how on earth she'd gotten herself so far from it in the first place. If she was lucky, she'd get back in time to change and clean herself up. She really didn't want to anyone to know she'd been out so late and run into such questionable company – especially not Mario or Toadsworth, as they'd instantly worry that the Darklands king was up to something again.

When he certainly wasn't, he was simply a father defending his children as any would. Maybe if the others had seen him behave that way...

...Well, they never would. Peach had a feeling she was one of the few who would ever see that sort of attitude from the dark king. She would consider herself lucky, if it were not so...confusing. It added another dimension to his personality that made him out to be more than just another villain – it showed him to have more depth and dimension than he would like people to believe.

Which is why the young woman – thoughtfully walking alone towards the sunrise – looked forward to his next visit, though it would likely result in her capture. It meant she would be granted another chance to find this depth, even if only for a short while. She would take the chance when it came and worry about the reprecussions later.

After all, this was what she wanted, wasn't it? Adventure. Of course, this adventure came along with her inevitable capture and time spent around a scheming, violent reptile with manners that depended on his terrible mood swings

But it was worth it. She'd found her next adventure;

She'd found him.

* * *

**Gwaaaarrrrrrrghhh!**

**Be humbled by my awesome roar.**

**Anyways. Hello. Here's something meant to help me get back into the swing of writing again, something that's been sitting in the back of my head as I play all these fancy new Nintendo games for the Wii and remember the good old days of frustration and two-dimensional havoc. This was meant to be a lot fluffier than it ended up being...apparently my brain defies the idea of fluff with metallic super-spiders that eat Koopa children. Omnomnomnom.**

**So uh, now that you've suffered through this, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share your thoughts! Y'see, this is my first time writing anything in the Mario universe. Ever. Everever. So your opinions would be awesome, due to the fact that I like to improve and all that jazz. I also don't mind hearing about how much you liked reading it, because that makes me think that what I've done was worthwhile :D Everyone likes to know their work was appreciated!**

**SHARE THE LOVE.**

**Anyways, thanks a million for reading this, you. I'm glad you took the time to do so!**

**Toodles,**

**Shmee.**


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